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​AFFORDABLE FOR WHO?

When you walk in your front door, you look around and you know you're home. You have a roof over your head, a place to store your belongings, and a home where you create memories with loved ones. But not everyone in Charlotte has a home, and many who do can't afford it.

Charlotte is one of the fastest growing cities in America: in fact, the U.N. recently projected it will be the fastest growing area in the U.S. through 2030. The cost of renting or buying a home has skyrocketed, and many can't keep up.

Our city needs an additional 24,000 units of affordable housing to meet the current need, which means more than 55,000 Charlotteans don't currently have an affordable place to live. That's three quarters of the Panthers stadium.

The City of Charlotte has a Housing Charlotte Framework that focuses on expanding the supply of, and preserving existing, quality affordable housing, and supporting family self-sufficiency. That being said, the City can't do this work alone. Government, nonprofits, businesses, and residents must all work together to address this need.

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FACES OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING

“Since receiving housing through all the entities, it allowed me to start growing and realizing for the first time that there was more to life in Charlotte than what I was doing in the past.” – Maurice Pretto, US Navy Veteran

Mr. Pretto received housing through the
City's Housing Our Heroes program, a special effort to solidify partnerships and secure commitments to end Veterans' Homelessness across our nation.

"Mr. Street is a disabled veteran, he just didn't have the financial resources to make repairs…This seemingly small roof leak over years and years turned into a huge problem. It started to rot out the wall, and then the floor…you could see the sky in the kitchen." - Elizabeth Lamy, Housing Rehabilitation Specialist

The City's Housing Rehabilitation Team partnered with Rebuilding Together, the Charlotte Hornets Foundation, Bank of America and Veteran's Bridge Home to help rebuild veteran Bobby Street's home so he can have a safe, affordable, and comfortable place to live.

Mr. Stockes, a Sign and Marking Technician for Charlotte's Solid Waste Services, was going through a divorce, had no place to live and no money in his pocket when when he learned about
HouseCharlotte, the City's down payment assistance program.

"This program is the best thing that's ever happened to me…[HouseCharlotte] gave me a new way to start my life over again. It gave me a second chance." - Gregory Stockes, HouseCharlotte participant

LEARN ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Six key trends are shaping the need for affordable housing in Charlotte.

1.) Housing costs have outpaced household income increases

2.) Most of Charlotte’s existing affordable rental options are large-scale, naturally occurring affordable housing, meaning the unit is not subsidized or income-restricted. Charlotte has approximately 81,000 of these units, though the supply is decreasing. Between 2013-2017, Charlotte lost more than half its supply (28,000 units) that was affordable for those earning 50% or less of the Area Median Income.

4.) Without affordable housing options, many households must make tradeoffs between where they can afford to live and places that have access to good jobs, good schools, and other opportunities that may exist.

5.) The residential market limits access to homeownership, especially for lower income households.

6.) Charlotte-Mecklenburg could add 500,000 persons by 2030, with seniors representing much of this growth.

Debunking the Myths of Affordable Housing

Before and after picture of Cherry Gardens

Most of the
recent research regarding affordable housing development and its impacts on crime and property values actually show more positive than negative impacts. Healthy neighborhoods such as First Ward in Uptown have long included people of varying income levels, including both affordable and market-rate housing. Affordable housing, and particularly mixed-income neighborhoods like these, matter for improving economic mobility for all.

TOOLKITS & RESOURCES

Want to learn more and help educate your community group, neighborhood association, and others about affordable housing? Please see below for fact sheets, presentations, testimonials, social media messages, and more!